Hot Topics:

Opinion: Guest Opinions

Dan Powers: Boulder, Xcel could share success story

By Dan Powers

Posted:
07/02/2016 07:50:50 PM MDT

We were greatly encouraged to hear representatives from the city of Boulder and Xcel Energy announce they have been working together on a clean energy plan to meet our collective climate change goals. Both the city of Boulder and Xcel Energy have a strong focus on the importance of renewable energy, efficiency, and other programs that can help reduce our carbon emissions, and by working together we can achieve our clean energy goals faster and in a way that will impact a larger number of people.

Following several years investigating the possibility of forming a municipal utility to achieve the city's climate change goals, we have been inspired to see Xcel focus on developing more clean-energy choices that customers in Boulder and around the country are demanding. Through working together to bring these choices beyond the city limits and across the state, Boulder and Xcel can share a great success story of helping to make cleaner energy available to millions.

We are compelled to reiterate and add to the community conversation a few key stats from Xcel's most recent corporate social responsibility report. Significant progress on clean energy sourcing and provision show that Xcel is on track to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 30 percent by 2020 and has cut water consumption by 30 percent at its operations.

In addition, the report states, "In 2015, carbon-free energy sources made up 34 percent of Xcel Energy's electricity supply and the company plans to grow its carbon-free energy sources to 43 percent by 2020. As the nation's No. 1 utility wind energy provider for 12 consecutive years, Xcel Energy added four new wind farms in 2015, increasing its wind capacity 15 percent. The company expects wind to make up 24 percent of its electricity supply by 2020. Xcel Energy also expects to triple the solar energy on its system by 2020."

Advertisement

These numbers are especially significant for a utility that serves millions of customers across eight states — and we can only expect to see the pace of renewable energy adoption increase as the cost curves for solar, storage and wind continue to come down. For example, Xcel recently proposed the new $1 billion Rush Creek Wind Farm project, which would add enough clean power for 180,000 homes.

In addition to this focus on rapid adoption of existing clean energy technologies, Xcel has recently partnered with just two other utilities in the country to launch an investment fund called Energy Impact Partners focused on supporting innovative clean energy entrepreneurs. This commitment to funding innovation in the energy industry shows the company's focus on creating a cleaner, more flexible and resilient electric grid for the future.

Boulder has also recently increased the city's focus on innovation for the energy industry, through launching programs like the Boulder Energy Challenge and participating in workshops like the Rocky Mountain Institute's eLab Accelerator. Through further connecting with local energy innovation partners like the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association, the Innovation Center of the Rockies, and the Innosphere, along with the many national labs and entrepreneurs in the area, the city can help to promote additional flexibility on the grid. Programs supporting electric vehicles, solar, storage, and more would all add tremendous benefit to our community's power system.

All of this is meant to emphasize the pragmatic rationale for partnering with, not spending years suing, Xcel. Even better than an overdue off-ramp, the unicorn of a "third way" may soon be discovered! We are fortunate to have a progressive partner as our local power provider, and we look forward to seeing the details of the clean energy plan that could serve as a model for other communities around the state and the country that are also focused on the challenge of climate change. Together, we can achieve our clean energy goals faster and in a way that will impact millions of people.

We encourage Boulder City Council, staff and Xcel to please keep at the constructive negotiations, and congratulations on what your recent announcement implies as valuable progress.

Dan Powers is executive director of Boulder Tomorrow and writes here on behalf of the board of directors.

Clubs keeping eye on RPI rankingsIn the age of RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) determining playoff seeding in Colorado prep sports, playing a championship schedule has become more important than ever for any team expecting to compete for a state title. Full Story

The Boulder alt-country band gives its EPs names such as Death and Resurrection, and its songs bear the mark of hard truths and sin. But the punk energy behind the playing, and the sense that it's all in good fun, make it OK to dance to a song like "Death." Full Story